Childhood Bedtime Routines Shown to Affect Teenage Body Mass Index

by | Feb 5, 2019 | 2018, Infant and Children's Health, Obesity, Sleep

Written by Jessica Patella, ND. This study demonstrates an association between having and adhering to age-appropriate bedtimes during childhood and adolescent body mass index.

sleepAn estimated 20.6% of adolescents are obese in the United States and the rates of both obesity and overweight adolescents has increased over that past 40 years internationally and domestically 1-4. Research suggests an 80% reduction in obesity risk for every additional hour of sleep in adolescence 1,5. The current research found that children who adhered to bedtimes that allowed for adequate sleep during early childhood years were less likely to be obese in the adolescent years 1.

The data for the research came from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study of children born between 1998-2000 in 20 U.S. cities. Included in the data were the in-hospital interviews of 2,169 mothers who were 2-days post-delivery. Follow-up interviews occurred when children were 1, 3, 5, 9 and 15 years of age. At ages 5 and 9, data was collected via in-home interviews with the mothers about the child’s sleep habits. By the age of 15 years, the adolescents self-reported their weeknight sleep duration, height and weight (n=2097). A randomized group of these adolescents was also selected (n=637) to participate in a 1-week actigrahy study, which used a wrist device to measure sleep duration 1.

Adequate sleep in childhood was determined to be as follows:

  • Age 5: 11 hours of sleep; age-appropriate bedtime before 8:30pm, borderline bedtime 8:30- 9:30pm, late bedtime after 9:30 pm.
  • Age 9: 10 hours of sleep; age-appropriate bedtime before 9:00pm, borderline bedtime 9:00-10:00pm, late bedtime after 10:00 pm.

Results were as follows:

  • At age 5, only 27% of children had age-appropriate bedtimes with high adherence to bedtime, while the majority (58%) had borderline bedtimes. These bedtimes remained relatively consistent at age 9, with the exemption of those with borderline bedtimes at age 5, who at age 9 had no bedtime adherence.
  • Those children at 5 & 9 with no bedtime routine or only borderline bedtimes had a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) at adolescence (p<0.05) than those in the optimal bedtime routine group.
  • Children who had no bedtime routine at age 9 or borderline bedtimes at ages 5 & 9, had 35 and 16-minutes shorter actigraphic sleep duration respectively as adolescents.
  • The actigraphic data also showed that adolescents, on average, slept 7.8 hours and only 27% averaged 8 or more hours of sleep per night, meeting the age-appropriate minimum 1,6. This raises concerns about their development and health 1,7.

In conclusion, data from a large national study supports having and adhering to bedtimes for the pediatric population. The research showed that regular bedtime routines in childhood are associated with sufficient sleep and healthy body weight in adolescence. The researchers suggest that families can practice this now for improved future health of children.

Source: Lee, Soomi, Lauren Hale, Anne-Marie Chang, Nicole G. Nahmod, Lindsay Master, Lawrence M. Berger, and Orfeu M. Buxton. “Longitudinal associations of childhood bedtime and sleep routines with adolescent body mass index.” Sleep 42, no. 1 (2018): zsy202.

© Sleep Research Society 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society.

Posted February 5, 2019.

Jessica Patella, ND, is a naturopathic physician specializing in nutrition and homeopathic medicine and offers a holistic approach to health. She earned her ND from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, AZ, and is a member of the North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Visit her website at www.awarenesswellness.com.

References:

  1. Lee S, Hale L, Chang A-M, et al. Longitudinal associations of childhood bedtime and sleep routines with adolescent body mass index. Sleep. 2018;42(1):zsy202.
  2. Prevention CfDCa. Childhood Obesity Facts. 2018; childhood obesity facts. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html. Accessed January 31, 2019, 2019.
  3. Abarca-Gómez L, Abdeen ZA, Hamid ZA, et al. Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128· 9 million children, adolescents, and adults. The Lancet. 2017;390(10113):2627-2642.
  4. Schwarz SW, Peterson J. Adolescent obesity in the United States: Facts for policymakers. 2010.
  5. Gupta NK, Mueller WH, Chan W, Meininger JC. Is obesity associated with poor sleep quality in adolescents? American Journal of Human Biology. 2002;14(6):762-768.
  6. Paruthi S, Brooks LJ, D’Ambrosio C, et al. Consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine on the recommended amount of sleep for healthy children: methodology and discussion. Journal of clinical sleep medicine. 2016;12(11):1549-1561.
  7. Owens JA, Belon K, Moss P. Impact of delaying school start time on adolescent sleep, mood, and behavior. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine. 2010;164(7):608-614.